AC9S5U03 Year 5 Science

AC9S5U03 – Year 5 Science: Physical sciences

Strand

Science understanding

Substrand

Physical sciences

This Content Descriptor from Year 5 Science provides the specific knowledge and skills students should learn. Use it to plan lessons, create learning sequences, and design assessments that align with the Australian Curriculum v9.

Content Descriptor

identify sources of light, recognise that light travels in a straight path and describe how shadows are formed and light can be reflected and refracted

Elaborations

• distinguishing between natural (such as glow worms, the sun and stars) and artificial (such as light bulbs or candles) sources of light
• investigating the shadows that are formed when light is completely or partially blocked by an object, such as when using a sundial or shadow puppets
• drawing ray diagrams to show how the path of light from a source reflects off surfaces into the eye
• observing refraction of light using prisms or water droplets and examining the rainbow effect produced
• exploring how 'holograph' videos use the refractive properties of light to create an image that appears to be 3-dimensional
• exploring the use of reflection of light by mirrors such as in periscopes and mirror mazes
• recognising First Nations Australians’ understanding of refraction as experienced in spearfishing and in shimmering body paint, and reflection as evidenced by materials selected for construction of housing

Achievement Standard This Supports

This Content Descriptor contributes to the following Achievement Standard:

Year 5 ASSCIY5

Year 5 Science Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 5 students explain how the form and behaviour of living things enables survival. They describe key processes that change Earth’s surface. They identify sources of light and model the transfer of light to explain observed phenomena. They relate the particulate arrangement of solids, liquids and gases to their observable properties. They describe examples of collaboration leading to advances in science, and scientific knowledge that has changed over time. They identify examples where scientific knowledge informs the actions of individuals and communities. Students plan safe investigations to identify patterns and relationships and make reasoned predictions. They identify risks associated with investigations and key intercultural considerations when planning field work. They identify variables to be changed and measured. They use equipment to generate data with appropriate precision. They construct representations to organise data and information and describe patterns, trends and relationships. They compare their methods and findings to those of others, identify possible sources of error in their investigation, pose questions for further investigation and draw reasoned conclusions. They use language features that reflect their purpose and audience when communicating their ideas and findings.